My wonderful husband arranged a dinner with friends at Providence to celebrate me turning 21 for the 10th time in my life. You can read about the first part of the meal here.

After that delicious dinner, it was time for dessert, the real reason all of us were there. 😉 Despite starting to feel full, I still went for the full 8 course dessert tasting menu. I didn’t know when I would be back so…*shrug* Can you blame me?

Cocktails

First up was “Cocktails”. Three different drinks manipulated via magic (okay, more like molecular gastronomy) into morsels that you pop in your mouth. From left to right was a grapefruit concoction, gin & tonic and mojito. The grapefruit and mojito were contained within a very thin bubble that burst in your mouth. The gin & tonic was turned into a jellied substance. I can’t say I was an avid fan of any of the drinks mainly because I don’t care much for grapefruit, dislike gin and prefer my mojitos on the sweet side. But texturally, this was quite a new and fun experience for me.

#2 kalamansi gelee - one of my faves

Next came the Kalamansi Gelee, which was my favorite…I think. It’s a bit of a tie between this and the 4th course. The kalamansi gelee was a first for me. Turns out it’s a fruit that looks a lot like a lime and is popular in the Philippines. Surrounding it was a soup of white chocolate coconut milk with tiny tapioca balls. On top of the gelee was a litchi-shiso sorbet and coconut. Now, I’m not at all a fan of coconut. I usually avoid anything with the stuff, which is ironic given that I used to gnaw on raw coconut as a kid growing up in the South Pacific. This dish wasn’t overly sweet nor was it strong on coconut flavor which is probably why it appealed to me. It was also light and refreshing. I think one of the reasons that I loved this dessert so much was the nostalgia the ingredients inspired in me, what with the coconut and the tapioca balls which reminded me of my boba-slurping days as a college student…

#3 mandarin-rose sorbet

The third course was the mandarin-rose sorbet. There was a cute little pistachio macaron, some fluffy bits of yogurt cake and cardamon. I believe under the sorbet was a raspberry gelee. I’m not sure where the “mandarin” comes in but I did taste the rose and smelled it too. It wasn’t too flower-y and went well with the raspberry and yogurt cake which reminded me a lot of angel food cake. Macarons seem to be popping up all over the place nowadays which is fine with me because I love them. And mini-versions are just adorable which makes me love them even more!

#4 sweeter side of panzanella

Another favorite, the sweeter side of panzanella came next. This had burrata ice cream on one side and strawberries marinated in basil and balsamic vinegar with a pan-fried frangipane. I think the outstanding part of this dish was the strawberries. The basil, balsamic and strawberries all melded together into something delicious yet I could still taste each individual component. I am going to try and recreate it at home…but I’m sure I’ll probably come up with only a poor cat’s version.

#5 caramel pudding - oh so salty!

Caramel pudding was fifth on the list. This dessert consisted of a cup filled with salted caramel pudding topped with a sprinkle of apricot, caramel popcorn and a chocolate peanut. I love the whole salt and caramel combination so when I started, I was pleased. However, when I reached the bottom, I found the pudding to be overly salty, so much that I really couldn’t finish it. Sadness…

#6 dark chocolate mousse

Up next was the dark chocolate mousse with kumquats, ginger and goma ice cream. Goma, it turns out, is sesame seed. While it wasn’t as strong in flavor as the black sesame ice cream I had at Tsuruhashi, it was still quite enjoyable. I think sesame seed ice cream is something that needs to become trendy so I can eat more of it. Then again, my hips are already too wide…

#7

Next was the affogato. This was pretty fabulous. It’s an Italian ice cream dessert that’s topped off with a shot of coffee or espresso. This version had canele ice cream with over a hazelnut streusel. The bitter of the coffee was softened by the sweetness of the ice cream and the streusel helped give a nice textual contrast. It was just a harmonious dish that I enjoyed. I think this was my next favorite dessert from the tasting after the kalamansi and the panzanella.

#8

For our last course, we were treated to a plate of mignardises – bite-sized desserts that are a type of petit four. Mini chocolate macaraons, caramels and what I think were blackberry jelly candies graced our platter. We chowed down on the macarons and the jellies but most of the caramels were collected and taken home to be savoured later. These caramels had some salt in it and it was just right this time. I wish I had taken them all! 😛

Another almost too pretty to eat thing...

Dark chocolate ganache

Not everyone partook in the tasting menu. Husband and another friend opted for only one dessert but their one dish were just as fabulous as our tasting menu. Husband went for the dark chocolate ganache which is a chocolate lover’s heaven. I am not sure what my friend ordered but it was beautiful…an edible marble-looking ball filled with something yummy; This was a sophisticated version of those chocolate eggs or something like that. Everyone was ooing and aahing when it arrived.

Overall, Providence has to be one of the best meals I’ve had so far. The dessert tasting menu is definitely a bargain, I think, and I encourage you it out, especially if you are a lover of sweet!

Husband and I arrived about 20mins early for our 8pm reservation due to misjudging just how bad traffic would be on the side streets… Turns out, our side-street route was faster than the freeways! Muhahaha! LA traffic can’t stop us! Anyways, there was a private party at the bar area so we couldn’t hang out there but our table was ready so we were seated….in the middle of the room. It was a little conspicuous being just the two of us at a table for 10.

We started off with a couple of cocktails while we waited for the rest of the group. I don’t recall the name of our cocktails or even what went into them (bad me!) but mine was something a little fruity without being overly sweet. Husband got something I consider more “girlie” due to the fact that it was in a martini glass with a little flower. I don’t think he liked his as much as I liked mine, though, because he switched to something else as his next drink. I stopped after one since I figured I was going to end up driving home. Plus, I was getting a bit fuzzy from it. I’m a lightweight. Plus, I came with an empty stomach.

I did notice they had a Dark & Stormy on the list which is a drink I want to try due to friends raving about various versions they’ve had. It was also recommended by one of our waiters. Next time….

Roll and nori focaccia

Once everyone arrived, we started perusing the menu. A variety of bread was served – warm bacon rolls which were quite good, regular rolls and a nori focaccia that was yummtastic! A plate of butter and a little bowl of salt with the cutest little scoop accompanied our bread.

Despite knowing that I was about to down 8 courses of dessert, I decided to indulge. After all, I only turn 21 for the 10th time once… I ordered oysters as a starter and the foie gras ravioli as my main course. Husband opted for chowda and the prime New York steak. Most of our table ended up ordering just an appetizer to save room for the dessert tasting menu.

Amuse Bouche

Before our orders arrived, everyone at the table was served an amuse bouche. This consisted of a house-made marshmallow dusted with wasabi, a cheese-stuffed bread bite and an incredible little glass filled with fish (I think the waiter said trout?), caviar, some crunchy little bits and edible gold. The marshmallow was a pleasant bite with the wasabi being a sweeter version than the more familiar hot one. The cheese bread was delicious, a little tart. The concotion in the glass was one of the highlights of the evening’s meal for me. I absolutely adored this…so much so that I ate Husband’s and another friend’s since they weren’t fans of the fish. I think I would have licked the glasses clean if I weren’t in public….

I am the Walrus...

Chowda

Our appetizers showed up a short while later. Oysters! *slurp slurp slurp*. There were 6 oysters in this order, served on ice with seaweed decorating the plate. Very fresh, a little briny, and served with two different vinegars, these were excellent.

I stole a couple of bites of Husband’s chowda and oh my gosh, so good! Thick, creamy, just like a proper clam chowder should be. There was definitely a good amount of clam and it was grit-free. I don’t know how many times I’ve ordered clam chowder only to encounter a little grit here and there…or a lot. Seriously, nothing ruins a good chowder like grit…

Heavenly cheese cart

Cheese please!

There was a cheese cart that we spied that had all sorts of amazing looking cheeses so some of our table ordered a plate to nibble on. The selected cheeses were served with bread and complimentary fruits like fig, apricot and apple. The variety was quite impressive – sheep’s milk, blues, soft and hard cheeses, an herbed goat cheese, cheese with truffle bits in them. I tasted one of the blues which was mild for a stinky cheese. The herbed goat cheese was okay but not my favorite. I adored the truffled cheese though. So delicious…

Beautiful fish dish

One of the couples split the Hawaiian Yellowfin Tuna. I have no idea how this dish tasted but if appearances are anything to go on, this must have been a spectacular dish! The tuna looked to be barely seared, just kissed by flame. The sungold tomatoes and blossoms really added nice color contrast that makes this bowl look more like a work of art. I’d be hesitant to dig in…but only for a split second.

Foie gras ravioli with shaved black truffle

Prime New York steak

It was main course time. My foie gras ravioli dish was placed in front of me and the waiter shaved a black summer truffle over it. Um…more, please? In fact, I’ll just take that whole truffle… 😀 This dish was amazingly decadent but didn’t feel heavy considering what was in it. The pasta was the perfect thickness and cooked beyond al dente without being mushy. The little bits of vegetable in the sauce added a crunchy texture contrast. It was fabulous.

Husband’s steak didn’t wow him. It was good but it was too “fancy” for his taste and didn’t care for any of the veggies that garnished his plate. The bite I tried had was cooked at the requested medium well and wasn’t melt in your mouth but was still tender and moist. But I think I agree with Husband that the best steak is still at Mastro’s.

Black winter truffle risotto

And the prawns were parted...

One of our friends ordered a black winter truffle risotto while her boyfriend got the salt roasted Santa Barbara spot prawns. Like the foie gras ravioli, they shaved truffle over the risotto. The prawns were quite impressive. They came out in a skillet covered with salt. Rosemary had been added as well and you could smell it. Everyone at the table was taking deep breaths because it was just so deliciously fragrant. Each prawn was fished out and split table-side. I was offered a bite and these were fantastic. The prawns were cooked perfectly and you could taste the rosemary.

At this point, I was pretty much full but dessert was still to be had! Stay tuned for part 2 – the 8 course dessert tasting menu! Yup, I still went for it…